Technology and the corner office

Baker, Patrick weigh in on the Internet's importance for Massachusetts

C.M. BOOTS-FAUBERT

When the polls open next Tuesday, for the first time, a generation of voters who quite literally grew up on the Internet will cast their ballots.

The significance of this is quite simple: No previous generation of voters has ever had so transparent and complete a level of access to information, news, events, and statistics about the issues.

This means there's a raw frontier of information on demand — power in the form of an Internet that includes the World Wide Web, the blogosphere, and e-mail that can reach into almost every home, office — even mobile phone — in the Commonwealth.

It might be easy to wave this off as something of footnote-level historical importance, but consider this: It was a very different Internet four years ago — one that did not have Facebook, Twitter, or the panoply of blogs — an Internet that was much less transparent. It better resembled the extension of traditional media. More to the point — and the reason why this is a historic election — is the fact that for the first time, the candidates have fully embraced the Internet for what it is. Make no mistake, the candidates are very aware of the Internet's new and as yet unquantified power base — a communications network that gives them the unfettered ability to speak directly to each voter individually at little or no expense; the ability to speak directly to voters who not only want to be spoken to, but expect that level of personal communication, because it has always existed in their world.

The result of this is that the candidates for governor are aware of — and planning for — issues that directly impact the citizens of the Commonwealth who also happen to be citizens of the Internet.

According to the polls, the governor's race comes down to the two major-party candidates: incumbent Democrat Deval Patrick and Republican Charles Baker. Both are not simply aware of the Internet, but have made it an essential tool in their campaigns — and have plans for making it a greater part of government. The candidate placing third in the polls, state Treasurer Timothy Cahill, running as an independent, did not respond to requests for comment.

Patrick has more than plans. During his time in office, the Internet has factored as a significant component for replacing state-level services that were eliminated due to the economy and measures that had to be taken to trim costs. This also permitted his administration to expand certain services, eliminating some of the most frustrating aspects of dealing with agencies like the Registry of Motor Vehicles, or the Office of Labor and Workforce Development.

During the first year of his administration the Governor had to trim costs at the registry, while increasing the capacity and accessibility of Labor and Workforce Development, and at the same time expand the level and convenience of service for both without spending more money. Patrick said the Internet was always going to be a part of that solution.

"We had a couple things that we were looking to do," he said. "One was to modernize and expand access to an incredible amount of information — we wanted to make it accessible to government and the public. But the other was to maintain the current level of service to the public at the time as a minimum, but to increase the service and convenience as much as possible as well.

"Using the Internet as part of that process is about making it easier to work with the state and having to adapt to a fiscal crisis which meant that we had to trim fat, but maintain and expand service," Patrick said. "We could only do that through the Internet."

He points to the increased online capabilities at the RMV and a one-stop sporting and recreational license shop at Mass. Outdoors as improvements under his watch. "It is a very simple, logical approach," Patrick said. "We are saving folks time and convenience and saving the taxpayers money."

The Governor admitted that the public has not fully embraced the current online services, but believes that has more to do with the fact that the availability of some services is not widely known yet. "It is an adjustment for the public and there are going to be some growing pains, but it is a step in the right direction," he explained, adding that plans are in place to continue to expand the information and the types of transactions available online at the state level.

Baker, meanwhile, views the Internet as an area that can play a major role in job creation.

"Massachusetts is a great state, filled with great people and it is a great place to do business, but the state government is overtaxing, overspending, and it is not creating a climate for new jobs," he said. "I know we can do better.

"I understand technology, and what it will take to increase the tech sector jobs in Massachusetts," Baker said. He cited his tenure as corporate communications director for the Massachusetts High Technology Council, saying that his experience has contributed to his insight in the subject, as well as providing him with a solid understanding of what it will take to attract new tech business to the state. "Creating jobs is as important as lowering taxes," he says.

Both candidates cited the importance of tech sector jobs, and both have plans for attracting new jobs to the Commonwealth — an understandable focus, with manufacturing and service-industry jobs like call centers, programming, and even web design moving overseas. America has to leverage its strengths: innovation and invention. Both of the candidates get that, and both recognize that this starts with basic access to the Internet at the community level, and computers in the classroom.

There is no question that they also have a firm grasp of the issues that are important to the average citizen — as well as the Internet citizen. Both have concerns about Net neutrality and user privacy, and the need to provide enhanced consumer protection against Internet fraud, but when the subject turned to future plans — and what they will do next for the people of Massachusetts — Patrick had some firmer ideas, including plans that address a hot-button issue: health care.

"What I am interested in doing is creating the same one-stop shopping experience for people who use health services, regardless of whether they have private insurance or Mass. Health," Patrick said. "We have worked with ways to help connect with one person and walk them by the hand through the necessary licensing and forms. Poor people want the same thing, they don't want to come in and end up being sent to four different places down the block. I think tech will help us with this."

Finally, if you are a member of the newest generation and a citizen of the Internet and you plan to fulfill your duty to vote, you should be sure to vote at the correct polling location. If you do not know the address, the Internet has you covered: Fire up your browser and head to the Secretary of State's website, www.wheredoivotema.com, where you will find a form that will direct you to your polling station.

See you at the polls.

C.M. Boots-Faubert is a freelance writer who lives in Falmouth. You can reach him at chris@boots-faubert.com.

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